


Unexpected

by AlyssAlenko



Series: Dreams of Shrios [12]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Alien Biology, F/M, Family, Family Fluff, Fluff, Happy Ending, Interspecies Relationship(s), Love, Morning Sickness, Nausea, Parenthood, Post-War, Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy, Vomiting, Worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2021-01-23 01:36:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21312019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlyssAlenko/pseuds/AlyssAlenko
Summary: Woken in the wee hours of the morning, Taye and Thane get an unexpected surprise that will impact their whole future...
Relationships: Thane Krios/Female Shepard
Series: Dreams of Shrios [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/577723
Comments: 4
Kudos: 49





	Unexpected

She’d woken early, a disturbance rumbling in her stomach--she didn't get sick; that wasn't something that happened and if it did, it was sparingly. She sat up slowly, trying not to disturb her husband in the bed. But apparently he was already awake, sitting up with her and leaning in to kiss her, only to be stopped by her finger against his lips, a wave of nausea washing over her. Thane leaned back, assessing her as she took two deep measured breaths in through her nose, and out through her mouth trying to let the feeling settle--she didn't look well. He pushed a red curl out of her face, black eyes searching her face for a hint of what had her distressed. For someone who faced sickness liked they faced battle, he was worried at how pale she had become. It was almost laughable--so much advanced technology and yet still brought down by some unknown ailment. Though with how much she had been pushed during the war, maybe everything was finally catching up with her…or maybe being a council woman instead of a soldier had made her soft and vulnerable.

“Siha, are you all right?”

“I just suddenly felt sick for a moment...but I think I’m fine now.” Taye’s smile didn't reach her emerald green eyes.

“I knew it...you don't have to hide it anymore: you're repulsed by me.”

Maybe some humor could lighten the mood...and it worked he noted happily as Taye laughed and punched his shoulder playfully.

“Never, Sere.”

When their lips were barely a centimeter apart, her nausea came back in full force, causing her to throw back the covers, vaulting from the bed and running into the bathroom to vomit. Thane’s brows drew together in concern as he shot off a message on her omnitool to Dr. Chakwas asking if she could make a house call as soon as she was able, before emerging from the bed and silently padding along the floor, feet following the path his wife had taken. He rubbed her back gently, sinking onto the ground beside her, whispering words of comfort as he knelt down beside her, pulling her long flame-red hair back and out of the way off her sweat slicked forehead. Thane squeezed Taye’s hand as he kissed the back of her neck. She let out a muttered string of curse words and gnashed her teeth together while grumbling something about never getting sick and hating how weak it made her as she leaned over the bowl again, retching as she groaned in discomfort. Being sick was never fun--Thane knew that lesson all too well.

“I'm going to have to run out to find you something easy on your stomach. Will you be all right if Kolyat stays with you?

Pouting as she nodded, Thane held out his hand to help her off the bathroom floor and helping her back into bed, tucking the blankets up to her chin and kissing her forehead. He left the room as Taye scrunched up her nose--she didn't feel cold or feverish or congested, but she couldn't figure out what could be wrong with her. And she didn't like that one little bit. At least she couldn't throw up if she was asleep. Her eyes fluttered closed, willing herself back to sleep as Kolyat came into the room, climbing up beside her with a heavy sigh and flopping down onto the mattress--four in the morning was too early to be up on one's day off. Taye rolled her eyes, and let out a tired laugh as he rolled against her, his presence at least comforting. He'd been unsure that anything could take his fierce stepmom--big, bad Taye Shepard--out of the game; she'd always seemed unstoppable.

Together they drifted in and out of sleep, Thane returning with Dr. Chakwas in tow, smiling to himself at the sight before him. He almost didn't want to wake them. Brushing Taye's hair back out of her face, he bent to press a kiss to her forehead, her eyelids fluttering open.

"Wake up, Siha. Look who I ran into on my way back." Thane whispered, helping her up into a sitting position and settling in the bed on her other side.

She smiled weakly at her favorite doctor, Karin immediately pulling several different instruments from her bag and setting them on the bedside table. Hopefully she wouldn't have to use them all. Dr. Chakwas studied her carefully, poised with her face on the scanner in her hand, fatigue lurking behind Taye's emerald green eyes. Karin didn't speak for several heartbeats, the only sound was the beeping of the scanner as it processed the results and Kolyat snoring quietly beside her on the king-sized mattress. Thane pulled her against his side as Taye fidgeted and twirled an orange curl around her finger, biting her lower lip. She’d been so tired lately; all the stress with the council seemed to be taking its toll on her; she was just going to close her eyes for a minute, maybe it would make the room stop spinning. There was a clatter as Karin placed the medical scanner on the nightstand making Taye open her eyes slowly, part of her sure she was dying...or that her body was rejecting all the tech laced through her.

“Taye, you're pregnant.”

“But that’s impossible! Mordin’s research said the chance of a human-drell conception was one in a thousand.”

“So not impossible...just highly unlikely, and you two probably haven't been using protection because of it, but who always seems to come out on top of impossible odds? And the amplexis is there to make conception more likely."

“But why now?” Thane asked, taking Taye’s hand in his; they'd been together long enough that if they were beating the odds, shouldn't it have happened sooner?

Karin shook her head. “I'm not sure...have there been any significant changes in your sex lives? Anything unusual?”

“Not that I’m aware-- _ oh _ . The day the doctor gave him a clean bill of health after the transplant. We spent almost the whole day in bed, only seperating a few times when it was absolutely necessary.” She gave his hand a gentle squeeze when he blushed a darker shade of green. “We were sore for a week afterwards, but damn was it worth it.”

“Well there you go." Karin laughed, leaning over and hugging them both in turn, careful not to disturb Kolyat, before she started packing everything back up. "Congratulations, you two."

She left the room quickly and quietly, leaving them to process and celebrate alone together.

Thane slid a gentle hand across her belly, a soft and mystified smile on his face--he'd never expected to be able to do the whole parenting thing again. Taye bit her lip as she stared at the blanket over her stomach--conflicting emotions warring on her face. She didn't know the first thing about being a parent; her parents had never been a part of her life and while the Reds had all looked out for each other, she didn't even know where to start in raising a child. What if she messed it up? Her gaze flicked to Kolyat where he lay sleeping--they had him to think about; he was nineteen and hadn't been back in his father's life for long, but now they had a huge change he was going to have to learn to deal with: a half human, half drell brother or sister with a huge age gap between them. She felt lips at her temple, drawing her out of her thoughts.

"Taye, sweetheart, what's wrong?" Thane asked, taking her hand in his.

"How are we going to tell him?"

"We'll face it together. For now, I believe a little more sleep is in order." One of Thane's hands wound into her hair as the other drew little calming circles on her stomach with gentle fingers. "Everything will be alright, Siha. We'll get through this together."


End file.
